"Come in," he commanded.
She didn't try to run away or hide. She'd been discovered. She let go of the knife and checked that it was safely stowed away before opening a door and entering the dining area. The white walls in this room were similarly unadorned as the other walls she had seen in the home.
She finally fixed her sight on Lucian. As she thought back to the feel of his body so close to hers when he had been lying next to her and how he had almost kissed her, her fingers were itching to touch him. Desire to coil in her gut, she nearly put her fingers to her lips. She had believed that maybe yesterday's weakness had allowed her to envision part of her powerful desire for him, but she was wrong. It felt more powerful, if anything.
Lucian couldn't help but go nearer to Kara as her stronger fragrance started to float to him. He immediately came to a stop as he held back from approaching farther. If he did, he would pick her up and carry her out of this space. He was only concerned with satisfying her desire because she needed him.
Everyone in the room stared at Kara and him while remaining silent. She fussed with her sweater's sleeves as a flush spread over her cheeks. Declan then coughed quietly and cleared his throat.
Lucian said, his voice gravellier than usual, "How much did you hear?"
She said, "Enough to know you want to give me to my brother.
Before turning to face the wall opposite from him, Lucian moved back to rest his arm on the mantle, but not before she saw a flash of intense red in his eyes.
You need to be aware of your origins, Saxon stated.
His hazel eyes met hers directly. I do, but I'm unable to tell you that.
Lucian hissed, "I told you we aren't your enemy.
"Now that I think about it, you also said that Joseph used to be one of you. What makes me think that none of you won't turn into monsters like him? I won't tell you where we are. Too many lives are in jeopardy.
As she anticipated their response to her denial, Kara steeled herself. Declan grinned as he shifted his seat forward and put his hands on the desk. While Declan looked at her as if he understood her—or at the very least, maybe even liked her—Killean and Saxon looked at her as if she were a snake with a spider's head. She returned his grin.
Is there any assurance that none of you will ever become Savage?
Declan said, "Fate is a fickle bitch, and sometimes she brings even the finest among us down, but occasionally she also steps in to rescue us.
Though she was unsure of what that meant, Kara blinked at him since she didn't have time to explain.
Lucian scowled at Declan and muttered, "Enough, Declan."
Declan turned to her and stated, "He's a little testy right now," before reclining in his chair and crossing his legs. When he was focused on Lucian, his look was innocent.
Why are you agitated? Kara yelled.
Lucian declined to respond to her query or to Declan's antics. He was unconcerned that he didn't understand what his buddy was trying to say. The only thing that mattered was getting Kara back to her place of origin safely. He balled his fists and his claws scratched against the mantle's stone.
Before grinning, Declan's silver eyes swept over her with suspicion. Because destiny may be erratic and even outright cruel at times.
She questioned, "Huh?"
She jumped as soon as she heard Lucian yell and turned back to him.
He had once again moved away from the mantle. The muscles in his forearms and biceps protruded from under his shirt as he held his fists fisted at his sides. His eyes nearly completely became crimson, and for a moment she feared the seams of that shirt would split apart.
Fear surged through her, but it wasn't for herself; it was for Declan. While Lucian was looking at the vamp, he went as still as stone. She moved forward before she could consider it, catching Lucian's attention. She wasn't sure what she had anticipated, but the tension in the room subsided as well as his shoulders relaxed and some of the redness flowed from his eyes.
Saxon breathed out loud. You must be aware of another means to contact others of your sort, then.
She responded, "I could call my brother."
And did your brother cause any trouble last night? Killean asked.
She said, "That irritation could kick your ass."
Killean arched his eyebrow, pulling his scar up with the movement. Doubtful, but if you'd want I'll try him.
Would he be able to find the call's origin? Saxon questioned while giving Killean a stern look.
Though she had never been exposed to as much technology as the male hunters had, she had read enough literature to understand what tracing a call entailed. Although there were computers in the fortress, she had never been given access to any of the handful that had the Internet. But she wouldn't have understood what Saxon was saying if she hadn't read those novels.
She experienced anger as well as resentment for the first time over what she had been denied. There was so much for her to see and do in the world. She didn't simply want to study foreign languages; she also wanted to visit the locations where they were spoken and get to know the locals. She wanted to really stand in the Sistine Chapel or the Louvre and take in the artwork, not just gaze at photographs of it in books.
She wished to be able to stand someplace, feel little, and study freely. There were untold numbers of books in the fortress, some for reading enjoyment and others for education, but she would only ever know what was contained on those pages. She would never go through it on her own.
And it enraged her.
She once questioned one of her professors as to why the ladies could read about and see pictures of the outside world but not use computers or go on field trips. Her teacher had said that it was because they didn't need to learn about computers and needed to be protected as women. They needed to be educated as women, nevertheless, in order to be smart enough to engage their husbands in discussion without boring them.
She didn't realize at the time why the answer had made her so angry that she had left the class, but she did so now. To prepare her for her spouse, they gave her a taste of things she could never have, but they never considered the possibility that her husband may find these things boring.
In order to center herself, Kara took a deep breath. She had two options: accept her situation as it was or rebel against it till she grew bitter. She had to go since staying would just fuel tensions between the hunters and vampires. It was very clear that Saxon preferred she go and Killean didn't want her in the room.
While she struggled to make sense of everything, she could feel time passing by as her temples began to hurt.
Kara, can he track the call? Declan pushed.
She said, "I don't know the extent of their technology, but I know they have a lot.
"Then we'll give her a burner phone, take her out of here, and have her call from somewhere else," Killean said.
She was aware that a burner phone was an unrecoverable, one-time item. In case one of their phones ended up in the wrong hands, Nathan had informed her that they used burner phones when they went hunting. Before he left to go hunting, he gave her the number of each new phone he had, and she remembered it. Unless anything occurred to the phone, which would require her to contact Logan, he had been using the same phone for the last two weeks.
In an hour, the sun will set, Saxon said.
Killean remarked, "We can take her out to call then."
With one hand gripping the edge of the mantle and the other running through his hair, Lucian tugged at his hair. He held onto his hand as pieces of granite broke off and chewed into it. If he concedes, he could turn on Killean. Lucian was aware that his buddy was correct—she needed to be returned—but why was Killean in such haste to make it happen?
While he was keeping his attention on the wall across from him, a sharp bit of granite pierced into his hand and drew blood. Although it would be preferable to get her out of there as quickly as possible, he wasn't prepared for her to go.
Kara saw Lucian's eyes were a bright crimson hue even though he didn't glance at any of them. She held her breath as she anticipated his next words.
He eventually murmured, in a voice so raspy she could not recognize it, "We'll leave in an hour."
Kara had a gut-punch-like sensation. She would return to the fortress tonight and be married within a month unless she quickly made plans.
When he finally turned to gaze at her, Lucian's eyes had taken on their burgundy color once again. He inquired, "Are you hungry?"
She had not been sufficiently satisfied by the bacon, but the pit in her stomach successfully absorbed any remaining hunger. She shook her head, hesitant to say out loud. She walked out of the room without saying another word and rushed up the stairs. She was sprinting by the time she reached the top, but there was nowhere for her to go.